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Eyren

Another mystery bantam!

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This weekend I bought two bantams to keep Angelica company, following the sad demise of her friend Mrs Miggins. The owner admitted one was a cross-breed and charged less for her, but claimed that the other was a partridge cochin (I assume he meant pekin and had been reading too many US bantam websites!). However she has no feathers on her legs and has much more prominent head plumage than any breed in my "Encyclopaedia of Chickens" (though her crest and little beard don't show too well in this photo):

 

nutmeg.jpg

 

Her plumage is delicate shades of grey-brown, a bit like the cuckoo variety of pekin, but with partridge-style black lines down the centre of some feathers.

 

I'm wondering if she's either a cross-breed herself or the "throwback" offspring of pekins who weren't as pure-bred as their owner thought? I don't mind if she's a cross, as she cost less than I paid for my Wyandotte banties, but I'm just curious...

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Im not sure TBH. But I wouldnt say their was any pekin in their at all, she is crested and bearded witch pekins are niether. And you say she has no leg fethers, and the whole body and tail are the wrong shape.

 

Def a hybrid of some sort. But a very beautiful chicken, wonderfull chocolate colour really different.

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she is a lovely bird - is she local??? More chookies - perhaps just one more chooky and I am just outside Cambridge!!!

 

She was from a private breeder/owner in Sible Hedingham (www.benshens.co.uk) - but his main interest these days seems to be Shamo game fowl, and he doesn't have any more bantams to sell at the moment. Jules suggested Happy Hens (www.hens4homes.co.uk) in Stebbing, just the other side of Saffron Walden - if I want some real pekins, I may try there, but they won't have any ready until the spring...

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She looks like an Araucana cross to me http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Chickens&breed=Araucana

 

She's gorgeous :D

 

xx

 

Thanks! I did think of Araucanas when I first saw the crest, but the pictures I saw online showed a variety without tail feathers (Ameraucana??). Well, we'll see if she lays blue eggs - the owner mentioned that Pepper was in lay but didn't say anything about Nutmeg.

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Very pretty.

My little Barbu D'Uccle (or D'Anvers,I always get the 2 mixed up) is partridge coloured & has a beard like that - photos in the gallery

8)

 

You beat me to it! I was just thinking that she looked like an araucana/d'uccle type of cross. She has an araucana type tail and long neck. I wonder if she'll lay blue eggs. :?

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She looks like an Araucana cross to me http://www.omlet.co.uk/breeds/breeds.php?breed_type=Chickens&breed=Araucana

 

She's gorgeous :D

 

xx

 

I know this is an old thread, but I couldn't resist posting this pic of a lavender Araucana bantam hen:

 

araucana4.JPEG

 

I'm now pretty much convinced Nutmeg is half lavender Araucana, half something else - she's a lot more brown than lavender, so perhaps her mum was a gold partridge pekin, hence the owner's confusion?

 

Pity she hasn't inherited the blue egg gene - her eggs are a pretty pinky beige, a bit like an American "Easter Egger" chicken :)

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My Wyandottes came from him - he's a bit eccentric, but the birds are lovely and all live in pleasant outdoor runs. Worth a visit just to see the amazing range of birds he breeds!

 

My husband loved his hen houses, but thankfully we already had the eglu by then - since I'm going to be the one mucking them out, I want something easy to keep clean :)

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